This Persian philosophical poem consists of 871 rhyming couplets
in the “masnavi” form [a narrative poem composed of distichs
corresponding in measure, each consisting of rhyming couplets]. The
subject matter of the poem is individual selfhood or “khudi” within
a re-imagined Islamic framework. As Nicholson put it soon after the
poem appeared, Iqbal’s ideas were not “typical of any section of
his co-religionists” and involved “a radical change in the Muslim
mind” (Nicholson 1920, p. xxxi). The poem is divided into nineteen
sections, including a prologue. The majority of the sections
address the nature and value of individual selfhood, the necessity
of self-assertion, the creative …

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30670Asrar-e Khudi3Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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